Thursday, August 06, 2009

In Yodelling Mode : Ozeki For The Old Lady

Actually, she doesn't look a DAY over 30 something.

It's the arduous fitness regime and diet she's on, I reckon, and maybe even the yoga. At 4X, she's more lithe and nimble than most youth of today. Of course, I am not even within the comparable range. I'm as flexible as Y20 steel bar. But not even as strong.

I cannot believe I first met her in 1983, when some of the blog readers here were barely born, or not born. (Nipple Joe, you weren't even a dirty thought yet, WERE you! Toy Boy, you were probably still peeing in yer pants!)

Time flies, almost as fast as sound, as as fast as our new marathon runner extraordinaire, Toyboy, who apparently broke the sound barrier at the recent Adidas Run. It's been a year since she embraced the new poodle, at the Mill, and later on adjourning to Pulse, which she misheard as Piles.

Anyway, old girl, you're one of a kind, and I am grateful to God that our paths crossed.

Sooooo, since its kinda a milestone year, birthday girl graciously hosts a lovely dinner at Ozeki. Dinner guests comprised of friends spanning the decades. From the 80s, 90s and 00s. A cosy, intimate dinner. Free flowing sake, on a Tuesday night, and absolutely gorgeous looking food.

The ubiquituous undefinable starters that are signature to most japanese restaurants.

A lovely beef carpaccio-ish thingie, dunno what its called, with Japanese mayonaise. Japonaise? Drat, that means something else. Tender slivers of raw beef, drowned in some soya sauce, topped with generous green garnishing. Oh, hangon, was it tuna? (the meat I mean). Help, someone.

A lovely crisp salad, with delicious yet unoily croutons, in a tangy dressing. If I remember correctly, there were soft shell crabs on the salad as well. Sake is like a delete button for the memory, I think.

The Fabulous Ozeki styled sashimi platter. Various kinds of fresh uncooked dead fish, with different types of condiments. Yummy. Admittedly, its a bad picture, ...but the different blotches of colour should clue you in as to the variety of sensations to the palate.

The super sushi roll, lots of lovely ingredients.

Yummy prawn gyozas. And the tails protruding out aren't just for show. There is a real whole prawn in there.

Saba Mackerel. My favourite. I could eat this everyday. Yet, I so rarely get to eat it.

Absolutely divine!!!! Pieces of wagyu beef lightly seared..... good beef doesn't need no friends, they can be consumed just like that.

Dobin Mushi. Soup in a teapot. These Japanese think of everything. Soon it'll be beer in a milk bottle. Chunks of golden needle mushroom bits of seafood, and chicken. Much like a cawan mushi, sans egg.

A satay platter minus the satay sauce. No la, Yakitoris I think they're called. The one at the far right is the TONGUE yakitori, my absolutel FAVOURITE.....GIMME TONGUE GIMME TONGUE. If you think about it, no wonder tongue is really expensive. One whole cow afterall only has one tongue.

At this unfortunate point, my camera ran out of battery. So I didnt manage to photograph the birthday girl blowing her cake, or the extra orders of food us greedy peeople ordered despite the feast above.

About Me

Oft misunderstood soul. Shy, reserved, likes to stay in the background, but inevitably mistaken as not shy, extrovert etc. Originally meant to be a culinary blog, but in due course discovered man does not live on cake alone..hence the waffle.